you wouldn't do it. >> the left would love to get a picture of that. >> that's it for "the five." we'll see you tomorrow. bye-bye. >> good evening. i'm bret baier. this is a fox news alert. with eight days until the federal government reaches its borrowing limit, president obama will address the nation tonight at 9:00 eastern. house speaker john boehner will have a response. fox news will cover both live. there are now two competing debt extension plans, vying public acceptance and political positioning. we have fox team coverage tonight. senior political analyst before it how many wilbrithume will gi. we begin with mike emanuel on what is in the proposals. good evening, mike. >> bret, good evening. president obama and senate majority leader harry reid have

backed on the idea of tax increasing about a part of a deficit reduction plan. still it is not clear if we're any closer to a deal. grueling news conferences on capitol hill as senate majority leader harry reid and speaker john boehner sell dueling plans to solve the debt crisis. with an august 2nd deadline looming larger, they're set on ripping their opponent's proposal. >> i believe the plan is full of gimmicks. >> republicans' short-term plan is a nonstartner the senate and in the white house. >> the house republican plan would cut $3 trillion and fuels a two-step approach to cut spending and avoid default and would include spending cuts that exceed the debt hike. caps to control future spending, and a balanced budget amendment vote by the end of the year. >> it's not cut, cap and balance, but it is built on the principles of cut, cap and balance that can pass the united states senate as well as the united states house.

>> the democrats' $2.7 trillion plan calls for dollar oophor-dollar savings and debt ceiling increase, no revenue, and would include cuts which democrats say are already recognize a good deal when they see one. >> they have moved in their direction so many different times, and they don't budge. no revenues, no revenues, no revenues. that's why you can't get a grand deal. you can't get a grand deal without revenues. >> mitch mcconnell expressed frustration that the plan was rejected by president obama. >> it was literally within our reach this weekend. the president has to know this approach is a responsible path forward. we ought to put it back on the table. >> at this hour, senate republicans and senate democrats are holding separate meetings to discuss the impasse on the debt talks and how best to move

forward. bret? >> michael emanuel on the hill, mike, thank you. let's find out how this is all playing on the other end of pennsylvania avenue. ed henry joins our fox news team today as chief white house correspondent. he has that part of the story. ed, welcome to the channel and to "special report." >> i'm honored to be working with you, bret, and the entire team. top aides tell me the president will not introduce a new plan. instead he will try to end this stalemate by making the case that we're on the verge of an economic catastrophe because, while he's been compromising, republicans refuse to do so. they believe this message resonates with independent voters who decide elections, and we got a preview of that message earlier today. >> president obama went back on offense, trying to cast himself as the person making all of the political sacrifices in the debt talks. >> so i've already said i'm willing to cut spending that we don't need by historic amounts to reduce our long-term deficit. >> speaking to a friendly audience at the national council of laraza, he also seemed to be

trying to fire up the hispanic vote, all important in 2012, by saying the sticking point is republican refusals to raise taxes on the wealthy. >> not only is it not fair if all of this is done on the backs of middle-class families and poor families, it doesn't make sense. >> but republicans per john boehner, who walked out of white house negotiations for the second time friday, isn't budging on taxes. and now both sides are trading barbs after treasury secretary geithner said on "fox news sunday" the debt ceiling should be increased beyond november 2012. >> we have to take that threat off the table through the election. >> republicans want a shorter debt ceiling extension, and charged the white house is focused on re-election. >> i know the president's worried about his next election, but my god, shouldn't he be worried about the country? >> democrats in the timetable is not political. they simply don't want the same spectacle playing out again in just a few months. meanwhile a white house aide

slammed house republican leader eric cantor for flip-flopping, tweeting that last month cantor opposed the short-term extension by saying "if we can't make the tough decisions now, why would we make the tough decisions later?" of course the white house hasn't been totally consistent either. back in april, spokesman jay carney was insisting no spending cuts be tied to the debt ceiling increase. >> we do not need to play chicken with our economy by linking the raising of the debt ceiling to anything. >> now, of course, the white house has long since flip-flopped on that position because of the fluid nature of these negotiations. also fluid is the president's schedule. he was supposed to make two appearances at democratic fundraisers here in washington tonight. he's canceled that. wouldn't be good for his image to be out fundraising in the middle of this debt crisis. instead giving the speech, 9:00 p.m. eastern here in the east room of the white house, primetime address to the nation. just a few minutes later, the house speaker will gift republican response. bret? >> ed henry, thank you.

secretary of state hillary clinton is trying reassure asian financial markets that a debt ceiling deal will be reached. clinton told the american chamber of commerce in hong kong the u.s. economy is sound. she later went to deliver a similar message to beijing's top foreign policy official. wall street did not respond kindly to the latest back and forth in the debt dilemma. the dow lost 88, the s&p gave back 8, the nasdaq dropped 16. senior political analyst brit hume has thoughts what's going on with the debt ceiling back and forth. today it seems the biggest development was that democrats came off the increasing of revenues, increasing taxes. >> right. it looks like higher tax rates in particular off the table, because the democrats agreed to it. as far as we know the president didn't have a problem with that. so that issue, it appears that phase of it has been resolved. it also seems they were close, the leaders of the two parties in the congress, two houses, two

parties, were close to a deal, and when harry reid, the senate democratic leader, took it to the white house to run it by the white house, it was going to be in phases, one debt ceiling increase with spending cuts, followed by another later perhaps, the president wouldn't have it. so now we know, i think, what the president's main issue is, the thing he cares most about. it's not higher taxes. it is getting this issue off the table after this next vote until after the election. that seems to be where he is. so taxes are off the table. we know where the president's bottom line is. the remaining disagreement is whether there will be any serious and deep spending cuts attached to this or not. >> so we're looking at probably wednesday for a vote, possibly in the senate and the house. >> right. >> on two different plans. >> right. >> do you think the speaker has the votes to get the plan he has now on the table through? >> i don't think he has the vote -- i don't think the speaker can get his plan through the house tonight.

i'm not sure he'll have the votes by tomorrow. i do think there's a likelihood he'll have them by wednesday. i'm not sure harry reid in the senate has the votes to get his plan up for a vote in the senate. both those leaders, in order to pass the competing plans, maybe begin a process of compromise between them, have work to do. >> very quickly, gallup just came out with a weekly tracking poll for the president, down to 43% approval, that's tied the lowest week he's had since the administration started. >> yeah. i think he hoped that by injecting himself into this, and calling these meetings at the white house, and so forth, that he would -- he would gain with the public. that does not seem to have happened. it certainly hasn't succeeded. in fact, it appears that they made more progress, the leaders in the congress, made more progress when he wasn't involved over the weekend, and now i think, you know, that something is truly beginning to happen for all the rhetoric today, i think one of the reasons he's making the speech tonight so he won't appear to be a potted plant

while the leaders worked it out. >> bret, thank you. there's another kind of pressure building on oregon democratic congressman david wu. in the latest congressional sex scandal. correspondent shannon bream has the details. >> house minority leader nancy pelosi has today referred yet another case involving allegations of sexual misconduct by a democratic representative to the house ethics committee. david wu, a seven-term congressman from oregon, is accused of a "unwanted sexual encounter" with a 2010 high school graduate. of the incident, which allegedly occurred late last fall, wu says "this is very serious, and i have absolutely no desire to bring unwanted publicity, attention or stress to a young woman and her family." in a letter to the house ethics committee today, house minority leader nancy pelosi said, "recent press reports attributed to our colleague, david wu,

indicate he may have engaged in inappropriate activity." it's up to the ethics committee to decide whether or not to launch a formal investigation. the allegations are the latest in a string of troublesome incidents which date back to 1976 during his time as a student at stanford. a woman wu had dated said he sexually assaulted her. he was disciplined and in 2004 acknowledged the incident, saying, "i hurt someone i cared about very much." in 2007, wu said this about the bush administration -- >> there are klingon insist the white house. >> in the run-up to his 2010 re-election, some close to wu reportedly grew concerned about his erratic behavior, which included emailing this picture to staffers. several of them quit. wu later said he sought professional medical care after being under enormous stress. now he must explain another damaging allegation to democratic leaders. >> i know david wu very well. and i hope that he will talk to

me about this as he's talked to me about other things in the past. >> wu says he will not run for re-election, but apparently has no plans to resign before his current term is done. bret? >> shannon, thank you. the nfl gets its labor deal done. that story a little later. up next, the not so civil war between two minnesota politicians for the benefit of voters in iowa. [ male announcer ] from nutritional science comes centrum silver, with vitamins and minerals balanced to support your energy and immune function. everyday benefits from advanced formulas. discover the complete benefits of centrum silver.

motorcycles, boats, even rv's. nobody knows where he got his love for racing. all we know is, it started early. casey mears, driver of the number thirteen geico toyota camry. geico, saving people money on more than just car insurance. but last year my daughter was checking up on me. i wasn't eating well. she's a dietitian. and she suggested i try boost complete nutritional drink to help get the nutrition i was missing. now i drink it everyday, and i love the great new taste. [ female announcer ] boost has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to help keep bones strong and 10 grams of protein help maintain muscle.

and boost has the taste that's preferred. your favorite patient is here! [ dad ] i choose being strong and active. i choose new and improved boost.

>> america's election headquarters begins in iowa tonight with a candidate debate and straw poll just on the horizon. while that focus is on the hawkeye state, two combatants from minnesota are providing many of the fireworks. correspondent steve brown has the story from des moines. >> i'm glad to be here. >> tim pawlenty claims there's one key political distinction between himself and michele bachmann. >> big difference between talking and getting stuff done. and i get stuff done. >> it's the latest chantner the rivalry of the two minnesota

candidates for the republican presidential nomination, which boiled over yesterday, with pawlenty having spent almost two weeks saying bachmann has no congressional accomplishments to speak of, bachmann had enough. in a sunday statement, she fired back saying "i've fought against irresponsible spending while governor pawlenty was leading a multimillion dollar budget mess in minnesota." later the bachmann campaign added on healthcare mandates, climate change and wall street bail-outs there's very little daylight between governor pawlenty's record and the obama administration's." this back and forth comes with pawlenty still trailing bachmann in the polls. for bachmann, the verbal sparring seems to come with at least some risk. it will likely draw even more attention to the iowa straw poll, less than three weeks away, and pawlenty seems to have the advantage of a larger, deeper iowa organization. the straw poll ballot was finalized over the weekend. nine names on it, two big names missing -- sarah palin and rick perry, largely because neither has announced nor campaigned in

iowa, but the two may get straw poll votes anyway. >> the iowan who wants to support someone not declared growtyetfor president will a wr. >> the texas congressman likes his chances. >> i wish i could say i'm the frontrunner, no one is ahead of me, it's a shoo-in. the truth there's we can do it and will do very, very well and hopefully come in in first. >> now, ron paul has a history of doing well in straw polls. he's won several of them. the most recent was at the republican leadership conference in new orleans last month. paul has reason to think he can win out at the iowa stray poll next month. bret? >> steve, thank you. the battle for the hispanic vote is on, both here in washington and out west. we have a report from denver. it's hard to tell who's winning. >> has never been more important than -- >> speaking before the nation's

largest hispanic civil rights organization on monday, the president acknowledged -- >> and that recession hit latino families especially hard. >> and while president obama won the latino vote nationally, holding it in 2012 could prove harder. >> latino is the fastest growing constituency. >> way higher than employment rate, there's evidence this vote is in play. >> every single freshman hispanic member of congress elected in 2010 was a republican. now, this is great in part because it shows that the republican message is obviously resonating within these communities. >> picture is clear -- >> in mid-july, the rnc released this tv ad and radio ads in spanish. in colorado, new mexico, and nevada. key states with large latino

populations. a few days later, the dnc encountered. susana martinez believes the key to winning hispanic votes is showing up in person. >> you have to have that conversation. what's important to them, what are you going to do for the hispanic population? >> a population as diverse as it is large. >> cuban americans who tend to reside in the florida area tend to vote largely republican whereas noncuban americans, those from mexico, those from central america, have tended to vote more democratic. >> analysts say nevada, new mexico and colorado don't belong to either party. in 2008, president obama took all three, but in 2004 it was president george w. bush. >> still ahead, president obama's feeling the heat, but it's not from the summer weather. and up next, norway's self confessed mass murderer tells the judge what he expects as punishment. rk.

a living, breathing intelligence that's helpi drive the future of business. in here, inventory can be taught to learn. ♪ machines have a voice. ♪ medical history follows you. it's the at&t network -- a network of possibilities... committed to delivering the most advced mobile broadband experience to help move business... forward. ♪

>> police in norway have reduced the death toll from friday's terror attacks to 76 instead of 93. the man who reportedly who has confessed to the crimes went before a judge today. correspondent greg burke reports. >> the suspect in the twin terror attacks last week in norway, 32-year-old anders breivik appeared in court today pleading not guilty because he did not consider his acts criminal. on friday, a powerful bomb ripped through downtown oslo. shortly afterwards, investigators say the suspect, dressed as a policeman, went on a brutal rampage, killing youth, attending a labor party summer camp. after the closed-door hearing, the judge said breivik admitted to the attacks, claiming he had to carry them out to save norway

and europe from islam. the methodical attacks have shocked the nation of just 5 million. >> one by one. he had a semiautomatic weapon that he was selecting on single round, because he didn't want to waste rounds. >> he apparently prepared the attacks meticulously, and released a 1500-page manifesto, a so-called declaration of the independence of europe, with passages apparently lifted from the unabomber and other sources. >> he has a mission. i mean, he's not an ordinary criminal. of course he wants the message to get out. >> breivik told the court this morning that he was not interested in the number of people he killed, but simply wanted to make a statement that could not be misunderstood. bret, the judge also said that breivik claims there are two other cells of his network out there. now, in norway, there's no death penalty, and if convicted

breivik would face a maximum term of only 21 years, although experts say there is a way to extend that. in any case, breivik says he expects to spend the rest of his life behind bars. bret? >> greg burke early tuesday morning in oslo. greg, thank you. it appears some of your tax money has found its way to the taliban in afghanistan. the pentagon says funds from a $2.1 billion trucking contract to get supplies to american troops were funneled to the militants. a pentagon spokesman says a new contract will be awarded and applicants will be more thoroughly vetted. we have an update tonight on the u.s. government law enforcement initiative that allowed guns to fall into the hands of mexican criminals. we have an exclusive report on some of the buyers in operation fast and furious. >> it's a lot of guns. that was the first thing that came into mind. >> this attorney represents

manuel acosta, the man accused of recruiting 19 straw buyers later indicted for smuggling guns to mexico. >> they walk into a store, fill out a form, they buy a couple of rifles and walk out and give it to the guy. he gives them a few hundred bucks. >> to purchase a gun every buyer fills out this form. it asks, have you ever been indicted for a felony, been charged with a crime that allows for a year in jail? are you subject to a restraining order? the gun stores forwards that to the fbi, which then approves, denies or delays the purchase. >> hi. is jacob here? >> jacob actually isn't here right now. >> we tried tracking down buyers jacob chambers and sean stewart. both had criminal records which should have made them prohibited purchasers. instead the pair was allowed to buy 363 guns. >> you can't sanction illegal activity to further an i will founded, ill conceived

investigation. >> an investigation that allowed this 24-year-old to buy a gun later used to kill border agent brian terry. when asked if it cooperated with the atf investigation fbi officials refused to comment however a whistleblower atf agent said whenever fast and furious suspects tried to buy a gun the fbi alerted the group's supervisor who approved each sale, even when it should have been delayed or denied. now, tomorrow hearings resume on defend the program under subpoena. >> we'll have a report on that tomorrow. the head of the government agency that responds to cyber attacks has resigned. randy vicars quit friday as director of the u.s. computer emergencyoj why yet. vicars' resignation follows several high-profile cyber attacks on the pentagon, the cia, and the senate. no grapevine tonight, so we

can continue to cover the debt ceiling story as it develops. when we come back, how the left is reacting to some of the president's ideas. ♪

engine revving ] [ male announcer ] 125 years ago... we invented the automobile. ♪ and 80,000 patents later, we're still reinventing it. ♪ it's no coincidence that the oldest car company h the youngest and freshest line in the luxury class. mercedes-benz. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional offers on the e-class. ♪

>> this is a fox news alert. president obama will address the nation tonight at 9:00 eastern. he will talk about the approaching debt limit, which the government will hit a week from tuesday, without an extension. house speaker john boehner and senate majority leader harry reid are touting separate plans. boehner will give his response to the president's speech

tonight. fox news will cover both live. the president from senior officials just coming out with details, saying that he will not issue a specific veto threat of speaker boehner's new plan, but will attack its short-term increase in part one. he will also not fully embrace senator reid's approach, but support the downpayment approach that includes eyeful safe mechanism for additional deficit reduction, according to senior aides right now. we'll talk more about this with the panel in a moment. tonight we have a report on how the left is determined to stop president obama from making concessions especially on entitlements. >> i think every politician of both parties ought to understand the firestorm that will result with a back room deal. you make significant changes in these basic programs. >> moveon.org and other

liberal groups went further, leveling political threats at the president, organizing what it called an emergency campaign to push back. yet urged members to call mr. obama's re-election headquarters in chicago and other democratic campaign organizations to condemn any deal that cut entitlements and did not raise taxes on the rich, saying "it would be a betrayal of core democratic values and could have serious consequences for the base's involvement in next year's elections." some democrats needed little encouragement to oppose changes in entitlements. >> we do not support cuts in benefits for social security and medicare. >> but president obama has consistently argued some changes are necessary. >> but we should look at what can we do in the out years so that over time some of these programs are more sustainable. >> and sunday administration officials defended changes in entitlements, which had promised tens of trillions more than the government can pay for.

>> entitlement savings to secure medicare and medicaid for the future with tax reform that would generate revenues help us solve this problem. >> this president, in all of these negotiations, has understood there must be entitlement reform, and he's been willing to take on his party and some of the so-called sacred cows of the last 25, 30 years, and deal with those issues. >> but the plan proposed by senate democrats leaves out cuts to the entitlements. in washington, jim engle, fox news. >> nfl owners and players are finally ready for some football. the billionaires and millionaires agreed on a new labor deal to end a lockout and get the upcoming season back on schedule. good evening, steve. >> good evening, bret. after negotiating all night in washington an executive council

of the players association voted unanimously to recommend a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement, which ends the longest nfl work stoppage in history. now soon afterward, the nfl commissioner, roger goodell and three team owners arrived to sign the deal, putting aside four months of animosity, the two sides came together for a joint news conference and thanked each other and the fans. >> football is back. that's great news for everybody. i want to thank all of the players for their leadership and for securing the long term future of the game. having a 10-year agreement is extraordinarily great for our game, but most importantly our fans. >> i want to thank the fans. the roller coaster ride, you stuck with us. football is back, back for the long term, and we're excited about the season starting. >> now, that the lockout's over, training camps can be all up and running by sunday. free agents can start negotiating with the nfl tomorrow, but won't be able to sign contracts until friday.

and the regular season will go ahead as scheduled. players do have to ratify the new agreement, but that's believed to be a formality. this agreement lays out a formula for sharing the nfl's $9 billion in annual review and does not include an opt-out provision the players had wanted. according to one team owner, congress ought to take note of these successful negotiations. >> i hope we gave a little lesson to the people in washington, because the debt crisis is a lot easier to fix than this deal was. >> no immediate indication from capitol hill or the white house that any lesson was learned. bret? >> people are fired up about this story. thank you, steve. the new york hotel housekeeper who accuses the former head of the international monetary fund of sexual assault says dominique strauss-kahn should be behind bars. she's)5: prosecutors have expressed concerns about her credibility. strauss-kahn is free on his.1l)<

after the break.

good night, frank. good night. desperate for nighttime heartburn relief? for many, nexium helps relieve heartburn symptoms caused by acid reflux disease. talk to your doctor about your risk for osteoporosis-related bone fractures if you take multiple daily doses of nexium for a long time.

possible side effects include headache, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. other serious stomach conditions may still exist. talk to your doctor about nexium. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. an accident doesn't have to slow you down. with better car replacement, available only with berty mutual auto insurance,

if your car is totaled, we give you the money for a ca one model year newer. to learn more, visit us today. responsibility. what's your policy? >> people from both parties have said that the best way to take on our deficit is with a balanced approach, one where the wealthiest americans and big corporations pay their fair share, too. >> the bill also meets republicans' two major demands. it contains no revenues, and the amount of the cuts meets the amount of the debt ceiling increases. >> i believe that the plan is full of gimmicks. we're not making any real changes in the spending structure of our government. it doesn't deal with the biggest drivers of our deficit and our debt. >> talking there about senator reed's plan on the side. the big development there is

that it came out and it did not increase any taxes, at least right now on the table. there are two plans out there right now. on the house side, speaker boehner has a plan. it says, in part, $1.2 trillion in discretionary spending cuts over two years, raises the debt limit by $1 trillion in the first section, basically broken up into two sections. joint congressional committee cuts, $1.8 trillion, then the debt limit increases. house and senate are required to vote on a balanced budget amendment, and does not include either any additional revenue. we'll talk about senator reid's plan in just a moment. let's start with the boehner plan and bring in the panel. >> charles, so essentially this is what you have been talking about ad nauseam at this panel, the plan -- we called it the

krauthammer plan. >> look, this has been out there, it's so obvious, it allows the republicans to get an immediate cut in spending. you match it with six-month extension. so it's a two-stage process. you use the six months to have serious negotiations over the two ways to really reduce the debt, entitlement reform and tax reform. it is a very honest -- you can argue it on the merits. these are complicated issues. tax reform, everybody agrees on in principle, but it requires closing of loopholes, how do you deal with the mortgage interest rate deduction. >> it takes time. >> right. it gives you six months to have a serious negotiation. it's not even that ideological. it's a way of balancing the loopholes and the reduction in rates. so with that six months, you can have structural reform. what the ratings agencies want is a demonstration in some kind

of structural reform and entitlements, the drivers of the debilityof thedebt, that americs about cuts. all of the other is smoke and mirrors. the president needing it before election day is self-serving and political, and it's obvious that's the only reason he'd exercise a veto. >> the congressional democrats, house democrats, already speaking out about that. house minority leader pelosi asked about this said, "this is ryan on steroids," meaning paul ryan's plan, budget plan. >> john boehner could not have paid her to say that. that is the best thing that he could hear. i mean, i'm sure he's going to use that quote to sell his plan to his conference. i mean, that's what he wants them to think. this is ryan on steroids. if it is ryan on steroids, he'll be able to get a lot of votes. may get 218 without democrats that joint congressional committee will look for more

cuts. they're not tasked with doing tax reform, as i understand it, they're taxed with doing more cuts. >> the only way to get more cuts is tax reform or entitlement reform. >> it doesn't stipulate, though,. >> you mean, they could if they wanted to. okay, if it's truly tax reform that, makes it bigger. this is something that i think will have a hard time passing the senate. we'll talk about the senate plan in a minute. >> yeah, in stop sig just a sec. >> the only way out of this impasse is with a bipartisan plan, because republicans only control one house of congress. this certainly expresses the republicans' bottom line. just something that's worth pointing out, we're at a point where republicans have said, they didn't want a clean bill. we're not getting a clean bill. republicans have said, no tax revenues. everybody's come around to that. i mean, almost every one their demands -- oh, dollar for dollar spending cuts to debt ceiling increase, that's also happened. they've driven this debate along

the way they've taken some blame on it, but i think that they have really been in the driver's seat the whole time. >> let's talk about the senate plan. senator reid said his plan was all the things republicans wanted. raises the debt limit by $2.4 trillion in one step, taking you to 2013. $2.7 trillion in spending cuts over 10 years. $1.2 trillion in discretionary cuts. $1 trillion savings from iraq and afghanistan. that's controversial. we'll talk about that in a second. $100 billion savings from mandatory programs, a joint congressional committee to come up with more savings, and it does not -- this is a big deal -- include additional revenue. in other words, doesn't rate taxes. steve, when i mentioned the savings from iraq and afghanistan, it's essentially a budget maneuver. >> right. >> democrats are pointing out that it was in paul ryan's budget, and there's pushback about that. >> ryan's people are saying it was absolutely not in paul

ryan's budget. i talked to eric cantor before i came on today, he said this was one table, and the ryan plan meant to demonstrate the differences in how you calculate it. >> bottom line, the $1 trillion is for republicans -- they're not saying it's not -- >> it's beyond fishy. it's $1 trillion at surge level spending in iraq and afghanistan. i mean, spending at its height in iraq and afghanistan. in addition, if i understand correctly, $400 billion in interest that we would not need to pay because of the elimination of this phantom $1 trillion. so right from the beginning, you're starting about half as many, quote, unquote, cuts as nor reid suggests that are there. i think, you know, that's a nonstarter. if that passes the house, it passes because all the democrats pass and some republicans vote for it. i can't imagine that republicans would vote for something that's obviously that phony. >> there are doubts whether he could get the 60 votes needed to move it past in the

democratic-controlled senate. >> if miles an hour mcconnell wants to draw the line on this issue he can prevent this plan from getting 60 votes. democrats need seven republicans to join them to get 60. republicans need 13 democrats. in this case, in today's politics, 13 is the smaller number. >> and let's remember why we're here. harry reid had an opportunity back in december of 2010 to bring up the debt limit extension when democrats had control. this is what he said in december of 2010. "let the republicans have some buy-in on debt. they'll have a majority in the house. i don't think it should be when we have heavily democratic senate, heavily democratic house and a democratic president." so he chose this. the reason we're having this discussion, is because harry reid opted to have it at this time. >> charles? >> the number he gives in cuts is a complete deception and a phony. the $1 trillion on the surge level in iraq and afghanistan, as steve indicated, is a

fiction. nobody advocated it. wasn't going to happen, weren't going to spend it. i'm told there's an extra $10 billion in here of savings from not invading normandy a second time. i mean, this is really -- also the imbeautied interest is also a result of fictional savings. the 1.2, a sure you it's nebulous, squeezing excess out of programs, which of course never happens. i'm bet you the majority of it is in the out years when a future congress is not bound by the promises of one harry reid. >> okay. we'll look at the politics of the debt talks, a new gallup poll out just on the other side of the break. and what about polling you? do you think an agreement will be reached before august 2nd? vote in on our online poll on our homepage, foxnews.com. results after this break.

naturals from delicious, real ingredients with no artificial flavors or preservatives. naturals from purina cat chow. share a better life.

>> should the idea of doing things on my own is very tempting. [laughter] i promise you, not just -- not just on immigration reform. but that's not how -- that's not how our system works. that's -- that's not how our democracy functions. that's not how our constitution is written. >> president obama today, a speech he gave. he was talking about compromise and the debt ceiling situation and other issues. before the break we asked you, will a debt ceiling agreement be reached before august 2nd? 40% said yes, 60% said no in

this unscientific poll. another poll of interest, the gallup poll, this is the weekly gallup poll. 43% approval for the president, tying the lowest week since he took office. back with the panel. steve, the politics of this for the president as he gets ready for a primetime address tonight. >> well, the daily gallup tracking poll is even one point worse for the president. it has 42/49. one of the things you're hearing from the white house is that republicans are doing this for political gain. they want to have another vote. they want to have this debate again during the election year, but at the same time you're hearing the white house say that they're winning the politics of this, that actually all republicans want republicans in the grassroots, out in the country, want their members to vote for tax increases, and that rebs are losing this political battle in washington. i think those numbers suggest that whatever the merits of the -- you know, the president's arguments, or whatever the white house thinks the blocks are on the specifics of the debt hike

argument, he's not winning the overall argument. the number has come down. he was at 46/45 on july 1st in the gallup daily tracking poll. he's at 42/49 right now. if there were any questions that this were political, it was answered when tim geithner yesterday on "fox news sunday" said that he wanted to take the debt ceiling increase through the election. the treasury secretary said specifically through the election. >> the president has said something similar, where he wants to -- >> yes. number one, he said it would be too hard to do it again, and also the rating agencies don't want the uncertainty of not knowing if the whole debt ceiling is going to be increased. >> although the ratings agencies could lower the rating anyway. >> i actually think that's going to happen. no matter what comes out of congress, i think we're facing a downgrade on government debts. but i think the poll numbers show what a toll this whole dysfunctional debate has taken on the president e. needed a big

deal more than anyone else, and the numbers show why. he does best when he reinforces his brand. although some republicans might be blamed for a default more than the president, but in the end he will be punished. if there's not a deal, there's a default. i think he needed a big deal, number one for the economic benefit it would have been given him, but also because he could have proven that he did do something on the deficit. >> charles? >> when i heard today that he was going to speak at 9:00, instantly i thought, we've got a deal. why else would the president request airtime? then i hear he's going to make his argument. i think the reason he's doing this is because -- three nights ago, there he was on television, somsummoning leaders of congreso a meeting the next day, like king henry summoning the wayward dukes to the castle. he has that meeting. boehner decides, we don't need the president anymore, we're going to work this out in

congress. and they were close to a deal on sunday. i think the president is speaking tonight because he's gone from emperor to bystander in three days, and he wants to be in on it to be resolved, and doesn't want it to be appear that it was resolved in spite of him and without him. >> a primetime address, you ask for time, and you don't have a deal. >> it's his campaign 2012. he warned, i think it was eric cantor in one of these meetings, i will take it to the country. that's what he's doing. he's campaigning. look, the date he chose as a drop-dead date, the debt ceiling extension has to go into the election. it has as much relation to real economics as the surge withdrawal date in afghanistan does to any military reality. none whatsoever. it's not an economic date. it's a date which will help him

get through the election without having to answer questions all the time on debt and how he's increased it by $4 trillion. >> we'll be back for the 9:00 p.m. eastern speech. that's for it this panel. stay tuned for a not so smooth transition. [ male announcer ] this is the network. a network of possibilities.

excuse me? my grandfather was born in this village. [ automated voice speaks foreign language ] [ male announcer ] in here, everyone speaks the same language. ♪ in here, forklifts drive themselves. no, he doesn't have it. yeah, we'll look on that. [ male announcer ] in here, friends leave you messages written in the air. that's it right there. [ male announcer ] it's the at&t network. and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say.

>> bret: finally tonight, if you watch this show you know a wide spectrum of stories for us to cover in broadcast news. and sometimes that variety makes a smooth transition quite difficult. ♪ >> some men pulled the pilot from the plane and they say he had severe injuries to his neck and cuts on his legs and appeared to be in shock. a tortoise now has a swivelling wheel as a leg. [ laughter ] >> bret: i will be back at 8:a